Fuel Card Costs UK 2026: Fees, Prices & Savings Quick Answer
Fuel cards can cost anywhere from £0 in standard card fees to several pounds per card per month, but the card fee is only one part of the real cost.
Your total fuel-card cost can include:
the price of the fuel
monthly or annual card fees
account/service charges
transaction charges
partner-network charges
low-usage or non-use fees
replacement-card fees
paper invoice fees
international charges
EV charging costs
Some cards have very low or no standard card fees. Others charge monthly fees but may provide a wider network, commercial fuel pricing, stronger controls or additional fleet services.
Our view: don’t ask “Which fuel card has the lowest monthly fee?”
Ask: “Which fuel card gives my business the lowest total annual cost for the routes, fuel volume and network we actually use?”
A £0-fee card isn’t automatically cheaper than a £3/month card if the second option saves significantly more on fuel.
Equally, a 3p/litre fuel saving may not compensate for high card and account fees if you only use a small amount of fuel.
Compare fuel card quotes and costs →
Free quotes • No obligation • Compare UK fuel card options
Key Takeaways
There is no single standard UK fuel-card fee .
Some cards have no standard monthly card fee, while others charge per active card.
fuelGenie’s standard card currently has no setup, card or fuel-transaction fee, although a £3/month low-spend fee applies where account spend is below £500.fuelGenie+ currently costs £5/month per card but doesn’t apply the standard fuelGenie low-spend fee.
UK Fuels publishes a £2/month charge on applicable active cards plus an account service charge that can reach £25.Esso publishes a maximum standard card charge of £3/month or £36/year per card.Esso also publishes conditional charges including a £18 low-volume fee where less than 300 litres was drawn in the previous month and 3% charges at reciprocal/partner sites.
Fixed weekly pricing can make fuel expenditure more predictable but isn’t automatically cheaper than pump pricing.
UK Fuels currently advertises discounts of up to 10p/litre, but the saving actually offered to an individual business can differ.
The cheapest fuel card depends on fuel price + fees + network + usage , not one headline discount.
For higher-volume fleets, a difference of just 1p/litre can be worth thousands of pounds annually.
For low-mileage businesses, card and account fees can matter more than small fuel discounts.
Contents
How Do We Work?
Our comparisons are researched and reviewed by the Compare Your Business Costs editorial team using provider information, published fee schedules, pricing information and business buying criteria. See how Compare Your Business Costs works.
Fuel prices, card fees, account charges, network sizes and commercial terms can change. Published fees may also be maximum tariffs rather than the exact price offered to every customer. Always check your individual quote and terms before applying.
Authored by: Ally Cox – Business Technology & B2B Services Specialist, 10+ years’ experience.
Last updated: September 2026
Fuel Card Costs at a Glance
Cost What to Expect Why It Matters
Card fee
Can be £0 or charged monthly/annually per card
Multiplies across larger fleets
Account/service fee
Provider-dependent
Can apply regardless of number of cards
Fuel price
Pump price, discounted pump price or commercial/fixed price
Usually the biggest cost
Transaction fee
May be £0 or charged per transaction
Frequent refuelling can magnify the cost
Partner-network fee
Provider-dependent
A wider network isn’t necessarily free to use
Low-spend fee
Applies on some cards/accounts
Particularly important for small fleets
Replacement card
Provider-dependent
Can apply if cards are lost or damaged
Paper invoice
Often avoidable with digital billing
Electronic invoices can reduce the cost
International use
Additional charges can apply
Important for European fleets
EV charging
Network and provider-dependent
Relevant to mixed fuel/EV fleets
The biggest mistake is treating the monthly card fee as the cost of the fuel card.
For most fleets, the price paid per litre will have a much larger financial impact.
How Much Does a Fuel Card Cost in the UK? There isn’t one standard price.
A fuel card could have no standard monthly card fee , or it may cost several pounds per card each month.
Some providers also charge at account level rather than simply per card – the complete cost can therefore be represented as:
Total fuel-card cost = fuel purchased + card fees + account fees + transaction/network charges + other applicable fees
To assess whether the card is worthwhile, you then need to compare this with what the business would otherwise spend.
That means looking at:
your current fuel price
the proposed fuel-card price
monthly litres
number of cards
all applicable fees
administration savings
Our view: don’t compare cards using a generic “£0–£10 per month” range – get the actual tariff for each card you’re considering and model it against your fleet.
How to Calculate the Real Cost of a Fuel Card A simple calculation is Monthly fuel cost = litres purchased × fuel-card price per litre
Then add Monthly fees = card fees + account fees + transaction charges + other applicable fees
Your total becomes: Total monthly fuel-card cost = monthly fuel cost + monthly fees
To calculate whether you’re saving money Net saving = current fuel cost − fuel-card fuel cost − additional fuel-card fees
You can also include measurable administration savings Total business saving = fuel saving + admin saving − fuel-card fees
Example
A business uses:
5 cards
2,500 litres per month
fuel card saves 2p/litre
card fee is £3/card/month
Fuel saving: 2,500 × £0.02 = £50/month
Card fees: 5 × £3 = £15/month
Net direct saving: £50 – £15 = £35/month
Annual direct saving: £35 × 12 = £420/year
If centralised invoicing also saves one hour of administration each month at £25/hour: Total estimated benefit = £35 + £25 = £60/month
or: £720/year.
For a more detailed calculation, use our Fuel Card Savings Calculator .
Real Fuel Card Fee Examples The following examples show why fuel-card costs should be compared provider by provider.
Fuel Card Published Cost Example Important Detail
fuelGenie
No standard setup, card or fuel-transaction fee
£3/month account fee applies when monthly spend is below £500
fuelGenie+
£5/month per card
No fuel transaction fee and no standard low-spend account fee
UK Fuels £2/month active-card charge on applicable cards
Account service charge can also apply, up to £25
Esso Card Up to £3/month or £36/year per card
Other conditional fees can apply, including low-volume and partner-site charges
These aren’t like-for-like quotes.
Each provider uses a different network, pricing structure and fee model, and the exact terms offered to your business can differ.
But they demonstrate why “fuel cards cost £X per month” isn’t a particularly useful answer.
Example: 10 Cards
A £2/month card fee across 10 active cards costs: £20/month = £240/year.
A £5/month card fee across the same fleet costs: £50/month = £600/year.
That’s a £360 annual difference before buying a single litre of fuel.
But if the £5 card produces an additional 1p/litre saving and the fleet uses 50,000 litres annually: 50,000 × £0.01 = £500
The more expensive card could still produce the lower total annual cost.
This is why we compare total cost rather than card fee alone.
Compare fuel card pricing for your fleet →
Fuel Card Fees to Check Before applying, ask the provider about every potential charge.
These can include:
monthly card fee
annual card fee
account/service charge
setup fee
transaction fee
network fee
partner-site surcharge
out-of-network charge
low-spend fee
minimum-spend requirement
inactive/non-use fee
paper invoice fee
copy invoice/receipt fee
replacement-card fee
late-payment fee
failed Direct Debit fee
international transaction fee
toll/service charge
non-fuel purchase surcharge
EV charging fees
cancellation or account closure charges
Some of these won’t apply to every card.
But asking for the complete fee schedule before signing up makes comparison much easier.
Why Small Fees Matter
Imagine 20 drivers refuel six times per month.
That’s: 120 transactions/month.
Even a hypothetical 50p transaction charge would equal: £60/month = £720/year.
Always multiply seemingly small charges by your actual fleet usage.
Worked Fuel Card Cost Examples Example 1: One-Van Business
Assume:
400 litres/month
2p/litre saving
£5 monthly card/account cost
Fuel saving: 400 × £0.02 = £8/month
After fees: £8 − £5 = £3/month
Annual direct saving: £36
Here, fees have a major impact on the result.
Example 2: 10-Van Fleet
Assume:
5,000 litres/month
3p/litre saving
£2/card/month
10 cards
Fuel saving: 5,000 × £0.03 = £150/month
Card fees: 10 × £2 = £20/month
Net saving: £130/month
Annual direct saving: £1,560
Example 3: Large Diesel Fleet
Assume:
50,000 litres/month
2p/litre saving
£150/month total card/account fees
Fuel saving: 50,000 × £0.02 = £1,000/month
After fees: £1,000 – £150 = £850/month
Annual direct saving: £10,200
Our view: this illustrates why fuel pricing becomes progressively more important as volume increases.
For the one-van business, £5 of fees nearly eliminates a 2p/litre saving.
For the large fleet, a small pence-per-litre difference dominates the calculation.
How Much Does a Fuel Card Cost Per Vehicle? If you issue one card per vehicle, the direct card cost is easy to model.
Vehicles / Cards £2/Card/Month £3/Card/Month £5/Card/Month
1
£24/year
£36/year
£60/year
5
£120/year
£180/year
£300/year
10
£240/year
£360/year
£600/year
25
£600/year
£900/year
£1,500/year
50
£1,200/year
£1,800/year
£3,000/year
100
£2,400/year
£3,600/year
£6,000/year
These are illustrative calculations rather than typical provider prices.
They demonstrate why larger fleets should negotiate and compare card charges carefully.
Fuel Card Costs by Fleet Size
Fleet Cost Priority What We’d Compare
1 vehicle
Avoid fees overwhelming fuel savings
No/low-fee cards and local coverage
2-5 vehicles
Fees + practical network
Card costs, VAT invoicing and local/national access
6-20 vehicles
Fuel price increasingly important
Commercial pricing, network and controls
21-50 vehicles
Negotiated fuel rates
Pence-per-litre, reporting and total account fees
50+ vehicles
Total annual fuel expenditure
Custom pricing, card fees, controls and integrations
HGV fleet
Diesel price and route coverage
Commercial diesel/HGV networks and fixed pricing
Mixed fuel/EV fleet
Combined energy cost
Fuel + charging rates and consolidated administration
Our view: the larger your fuel volume, the less useful it becomes to obsess over a £2 or £3 card fee without simultaneously comparing the fuel price.
At 100,000 litres per month, a 1p/litre difference is worth £1,000 every month.
Fixed Price vs Pump Price Fuel Card Costs Fuel-card pricing generally falls into several models, including fixed/commercial pricing and pump pricing.
Feature Fixed / Commercial Price Pump Price
Price
Agreed/provider-set price, often updated weekly
Price displayed at the forecourt
Budgeting
More predictable
Varies by station
Potential saving
Can beat pump prices
Can benefit from cheap supermarket/local fuel
Route flexibility
Depends on applicable network
Often useful where low-cost forecourts are available
Best suited to
Higher-volume and diesel fleets
Smaller/mixed fleets and supermarket users
Main risk
Assuming fixed automatically means cheaper
Paying high motorway/regional pump prices
Which Is Cheaper?
Neither is automatically cheaper.
Suppose a fixed weekly price is £1.44/litre.
If your normal pump price is £1.47, you’re potentially 3p/litre better off.
If your drivers regularly use a supermarket charging £1.41, the fixed price would actually be 3p/litre more expensive.
Our view: compare the proposed commercial rate against the forecourts your drivers genuinely use, not the national average pump price.
How Much Is a Fuel Card Saving Per Litre Worth? Small pence-per-litre differences become substantial at higher volumes.
Monthly Fuel 1p/L 2p/L 3p/L 5p/L
500 litres
£5
£10
£15
£25
1,000 litres
£10
£20
£30
£50
5,000 litres
£50
£100
£150
£250
10,000 litres
£100
£200
£300
£500
20,000 litres
£200
£400
£600
£1,000
50,000 litres
£500
£1,000
£1,500
£2,500
For example, a fleet using 20,000 litres/month would save:
£2,400/year at 1p/litre £4,800/year at 2p/litre £7,200/year at 3p/litre £12,000/year at 5p/litre.
This is why high-volume fleets should pay close attention to the actual fuel price.
UK Fuels currently advertises discounts of up to 10p/litre , but “up to” is not a guaranteed saving for every business.
Always compare the actual quote.
Fuel Card Costs for Low-Mileage Businesses Low-mileage businesses need to pay particular attention to fixed fees.
Suppose you use only 300 litres/month.
A 2p/litre saving equals:
£6/month.
If your fuel-card costs total £5/month, the direct fuel saving after fees is only:
£1/month.
That’s just £12/year before considering any administration benefit.
Some cards also have explicit low-spend or low-volume charges.
For example:
fuelGenie currently charges £3/month when account spend is below £500
Esso’s published tariff lists an £18/month administration fee where less than 300 litres was drawn in the previous month
Our view: low-mileage businesses should start with fees.
High-mileage businesses should start with the fuel price.
The purchasing criteria are different.
If keeping costs as low as possible is your priority, see our cheapest fuel cards guide .
HGV Fuel Card Costs HGV fleets can use considerably more fuel than car or van fleets, which changes the economics.
For an HGV operator, we’d prioritise:
diesel price per litre
fixed/commercial pricing
HGV-friendly locations
high-speed pumps
motorway and trunk-road coverage
24-hour sites
AdBlue availability
European coverage where required
toll and truck-service fees
At 100,000 litres per month:
1p/litre = £1,000/month = £12,000/year.
A £3 monthly card fee becomes relatively insignificant compared with the effect of the diesel price.
Specialist options such as Keyfuels should therefore be compared alongside wider-network cards such as Esso , BP and other commercial providers.
Fuel Card Costs for Mixed Fuel & EV Fleets Mixed fleets need to calculate more than petrol or diesel.
Potential costs can include:
fuel-card fee
petrol/diesel price
EV card or RFID fee
public charging tariff
rapid/ultra-rapid charging cost
roaming-network charges
idle/overstay fees
administration charges
A combined fuel and EV solution may cost more than a basic fuel-only card but could reduce administration by bringing expenditure into one fleet account.
Providers including Shell , BP and Allstar offer propositions designed around conventional fuel and EV charging.
Our view: don’t assume one payment solution is automatically cheaper simply because it combines fuel and EVs.
Compare the actual charging tariffs and fuel prices as well as the administrative benefit.
Fuel Card Costs & VAT A fuel card doesn’t automatically reduce the VAT due on fuel.
Its main VAT advantage is administrative – Fuel-card providers can provide centralised VAT invoices rather than requiring businesses to rely on individual forecourt receipts.
This can help with:
record keeping
VAT administration
matching fuel to drivers or vehicles
reducing missing receipts
creating a clearer audit trail
Businesses can only reclaim VAT where the normal HMRC requirements for business expenditure and VAT recovery are met.
Our view: don’t count VAT reclaim itself as a fuel-card “saving” if your business could already legitimately reclaim that VAT.
The real benefit is making the process easier and reducing administration.
That distinction is important.
How to Reduce Fuel Card Costs To reduce your total fuel-card expenditure:
Calculate your actual monthly litres. Don’t estimate using fleet size alone.Map your routes. A cheap card is useless if drivers have to detour to use it.Compare the actual fuel price. Don’t rely solely on advertised discounts.Request the full fee schedule. Include card, account, network and conditional charges.Multiply fees across the fleet. £3 sounds small until you have 100 cards.Check low-spend charges. These can be particularly important for small fleets.Remove unused cards. Don’t continue paying for inactive vehicles or drivers.Compare fixed vs pump pricing. Use the stations your drivers actually visit.Review partner-network charges. Broad acceptance can sometimes come at an additional cost.Use purchase controls. Restrict non-fuel purchases where appropriate.Review fuel-card pricing regularly. Your fleet, routes and fuel volume can change.Combine fuel data with vehicle tracking. Fuel consumption makes more sense when compared with mileage and driver behaviour.
You can compare fuel usage with mileage, routes and idling through fleet management and vehicle tracking .
Our View: What Should a Fuel Card Really Cost? There isn’t a useful single answer to “How much does a fuel card cost?”
The card itself could cost nothing.
It could cost £2/month.
It could cost £5/month.
But that tells us very little about whether the deal is good.
Consider two hypothetical offers:
Card A
£0 monthly card fee
fuel price £1.46/litre
Card B
£3 monthly card fee
fuel price £1.43/litre
For one vehicle using 100 litres/month:
Card A fuel cost: 100 × £1.46 = £146
Card B: 100 × £1.43 + £3 fee = £146
There’s effectively no difference.
But at 1,000 litres/month:
Card A: £1,460
Card B: £1,430 + £3 = £1,433
Card B is now: £27/month cheaper
or: £324/year cheaper.
That’s why our approach is:
Low fuel usage → scrutinise fees. High fuel usage → scrutinise pence per litre. National fleet → scrutinise network coverage. HGV fleet → scrutinise commercial diesel price and HGV locations. Mixed EV fleet → scrutinise both fuel and charging costs.
The best comparison uses your real fleet data rather than a generic advertised saving.
Compare fuel card quotes based on your business →
Free quotes • No obligation • Compare UK fuel card options
Fuel Card Cost FAQs How much does a fuel card cost in the UK?
There is no standard UK fuel-card price. Some cards have no standard monthly card fee, while others charge several pounds per card each month. Account, transaction, network and conditional fees can also apply.
Are there free fuel cards?
Yes. Some providers offer cards without a standard monthly card fee. For example, fuelGenie’s standard card currently has no standard setup, card or fuel-transaction fee, although a £3/month account fee applies when monthly spend is below £500.
How much does fuelGenie cost?
The standard fuelGenie card currently has no setup, card or fuel-transaction fees. A £3/month account fee applies where monthly spend is below £500. fuelGenie+ currently costs £5/month per card and does not have the standard low-spend fee.
How much does UK Fuels cost?
UK Fuels currently publishes a £2 monthly charge on applicable active cards. It also publishes an account service charge calculated as a percentage fee up to a maximum of £25. The exact charges applicable to your account should be confirmed with your quote.
How much does an Esso fuel card cost?
Esso’s published tariff currently lists a maximum standard card charge of £3/month or £36/year per card. Other charges can apply depending on usage and transactions.
Do fuel cards have monthly fees?
Some do and some don’t. Fees can be charged per card, per account or through other service charges.
Do fuel cards charge transaction fees?
Some providers do. Others explicitly provide fuel transactions without a transaction charge. Check the complete tariff rather than assuming all cards work the same way.
Do fuel cards have minimum-spend charges?
Some do. For example, fuelGenie currently has a low-spend fee below £500 monthly account spend, while Esso publishes an administration fee for accounts using less than 300 litres in the previous month.
How much can a fuel card save per litre?
Savings depend on the card and commercial terms. UK Fuels currently advertises discounts of up to 10p/litre, but an “up to” figure isn’t guaranteed for every business.
How much is a 1p-per-litre fuel saving worth?
It depends on fuel volume. At 1,000 litres/month it is £10/month or £120/year. At 20,000 litres/month it is £200/month or £2,400/year.
How much is a 5p-per-litre fuel saving worth?
At 1,000 litres/month it is £50/month or £600/year. At 20,000 litres/month it is £1,000/month or £12,000/year.
Is a no-fee fuel card always cheaper?
No. A card with a monthly fee can still be cheaper overall if it provides a sufficiently lower fuel price.
What is the cheapest fuel card?
There isn’t one universally cheapest card. The result depends on your fuel volume, routes, fuel type, network requirements and fees. See our cheapest fuel cards comparison .
Are fixed-price fuel cards cheaper?
Not automatically. A fixed/commercial price can beat pump prices but can also be more expensive than a particularly cheap local or supermarket forecourt.
Are fuel cards worth it for one vehicle?
They can be. For one vehicle, low card/account fees and convenient local coverage become particularly important because there is less fuel volume over which to spread fixed charges.
Are fuel cards worth it for small businesses?
They can be if the business has regular fuel expenditure and the combination of fuel pricing, fees, invoicing and administration produces a worthwhile benefit.
Are fuel cards worth it for large fleets?
Potentially. Higher fuel volume means even small pence-per-litre differences can have a substantial annual impact.
Do fuel cards help with VAT?
Fuel cards can provide consolidated VAT invoices and reduce receipt administration. They don’t create an additional entitlement to reclaim VAT where the business would not otherwise qualify.
Can fuel cards charge for partner networks?
Yes. Some cards apply additional charges when used at reciprocal or partner locations. Always check whether the wider advertised network has different pricing or fees.
Do fuel cards charge for paper invoices?
Some providers charge for paper invoices while providing electronic invoices free of charge.
Can fuel cards charge for failed Direct Debits?
Yes. Some providers publish administration charges for failed or returned Direct Debits.
Do EV fuel cards cost more?
They can. Mixed-energy cards may have card fees, charging tariffs, roaming charges or other network costs. Compare the combined fuel and EV expenditure rather than the card fee alone.
How often should I compare fuel-card costs?
We’d review your fuel-card costs whenever fuel volume, routes, fleet size or fuel type changes, and periodically even if the fleet remains stable.
Compare Fuel Card Costs Before choosing a card, calculate:
your monthly litres
your current average fuel price
the quoted fuel-card price
the number of cards required
monthly/annual card fees
account/service charges
transaction/network charges
conditional fees that could realistically affect you
potential administration savings
total annual cost
The cheapest-looking fuel card isn’t necessarily the cheapest card to operate.
Compare the complete annual cost using your real fuel volume and routes.
Compare tailored fuel card quotes →
Free quotes • No obligation • Compare UK fuel card options
Hi, I’m Ally Cox , a senior copywriter and blogger at CompareYourBusinessCosts.co.uk, the UK’s trusted platform for comparing business services.over a decade of experience in the B2B sector, I specialise in simplifying complex topics like leased lines, VoIP, business energy, HR and payroll solutions, accounting software, and EPOS systems .HR, copywriting, and business operations- from clocking-in systems to card machines and office technology .informed, confident decisions when choosing products and services that improve efficiency and save money.
